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Many carriers and ship operators have to deal with problems like huge bunker costs, labor costs, huge charter costs, poor tracking system and costly communication between the vessels. If such problems are not efficiently addressed, shipping operations are likely to encounter huge losses. Apart from the financial loss, such issues can harm the company’s reputation and goodwill. Shipping software allows carriers and ship operators to reduce expenses and get considerable cost benefits by minimizing the various tasks involved like time consuming and labor-intensive processes like redundant data entries, documentation, inventory, invoicing and much more.

In the last few years, the shipping industry has seen a considerable change as the tasks involved have become less time consuming and labor intensive. This means that all the shipping procedures have become error free, efficient and faster. As different business organizations have their specific needs and requirements when it comes to the shipping operations, the companies have come with various types of shipping software solutions which can serve specific functions as per the business needs and requirements.

With the advancement of internet and technology, the shipping industry has seen a significant change and thus helps simplify various important shipping operations which, requires considerable time and a lot of expertise. The shipping software offers scalable and efficient solutions to enable carriers maximize profits and reduce operational expenses. It also helps shipping lines in controlling shipping activities between different ports. A number of multinational corporations, today necessitate an efficient heavy duty team which offers them excellent and cost effective shipping operations. However, the most important factor here is comparing the different shipping rates. Business organizations need to choose a reputed and reliable company which delivers cost and quality which are definitely business friendly.

Selecting an efficient and cost effective company means saving profits and reducing operational costs to a significant level. Also, before choosing any company, you must consider the international shipping rates, compare the quotes offered and then select the one which suits your needs in the best way. The services you choose must help you to gain success and ensure cost effective and absolutely safe transportation. Many business organizations today use USPS software to ensure that mailing services are completed in an efficient and easy way. These mailing solutions make postage quite easy and safe as well. Thus, choosing a reliable and reputed company with efficient shipping software which integrates with your business operations and contributes in business growth as well as sustainability is quite an important task.

One of the tougher decisions every shipping executive has to make has to do with replacing an outdated technology with more efficient shipping software. As it turns out, replacing an ageing IT platform is a lot more complicated than it sounds, particularly in such a fast-paced business environment as liner shipping. History has been a witness to countless cases where poor implementation of new technology has resulted in more harm than its supposed benefits.

Yet, despite this fact, more and more shipping operators, NVOCC’s, and logistics solution providers choose to make the difficult, and yet rewarding, decision of switching to more advanced liner shipping software for all the right reasons. Regardless of their desired outcomes, these shipping companies abandon their ageing legacy systems, not because doing so is the better alternative available, but because it is the only option that is left in order for them to remain competitive.

Around two or three decades ago, many large shipping companies chose to build bespoke IT platforms to automate their internal logistics processes. This was, without a doubt, a good decision back then because it helped operators to streamline their operations and make best use of their in-house resources. Transporting goods in containers became a lot easier and profitable using IT platforms specifically built for container shipping, such as container management software. Eventually, operational costs were significantly reduced, efficiency increased, and shipping companies gained competitive advantage over competitors who could not afford such investment.

However, the problem with using bespoke IT systems was that they generally required a huge capital of up to 50 times the cost of off-the-shelf shipping software in some cases. Aside from the hefty initial investment, maintaining those custom-built IT platforms was also very expensive. First of all, building a bespoke system required hiring a skilled in-house software programmer, and in most cases, a team of additional in-house IT staff to maintain and keep it running. And since those systems were mostly custom-tailored to exact specifications, technological developments quickly made them age in just a few years. Since software used (and still tend) to run in five-to-ten-year cycles, operators could only hope that they could, at least, make back the cost of their investment before their platform became obsolete.

To address these problems and make business more profitable, shipping software companies have developed ready-made solutions which can be purchased off-the-shelf. These types of shipping software are not only cheaper to implement than traditional bespoke systems, but are also proven to be a lot easier and less-expensive to maintain. To ensure wide-range and protracted usability, packaged software solutions incorporate a “switching” mechanism which allows each application to be customized to suit individual user or function, and other company peculiarities. This mechanism also allows operators to upgrade their existing IT platform to newer versions without the need for complicated and expensive re-programming.

Aside from a streamlined business process, shipping line software solutions are also instrumental in improving customer service and value. Unlike before, customers nowadays are more informed, and accordingly, more demanding. They want to be able to keep track of their shipments and have some degree of control over the shipping process. Container tracking software is designed to provide customers and vessel operators a complete and up-to-the-minute visibility over cargo movements. This not only enhances customer experience through value-added services, it also improves the shipping company’s reliability, which opens the door to more clients in the future.

Lastly, enterprise shipping software enables operators to reduce costs on fuel and other operational expenses. Fuel cost has always been a matter of great importance in shipping, and it truly deserves every liner vessel operator’s attention considering the fact that bunker accounts for more than half of a ship’s operating expenses. To reduce fuel consumption, shipping companies are implementing cost-saving measures such as finding more direct routes, installing more efficient propellers, and creating more hydrodynamic vessel designs. On top of these, many liner vessels now use bunker management software to monitor and manage their bunker expenses more efficiently.

Technology evolves very quickly, and shipping companies must evolve with it if they must continue to survive. By switching to modern platforms based on enterprise shipping software, liner vessel operators gain greater competitive advantage than what bespoke IT systems can provide.

In the last 20 years, the shipping industry has taken a giant step toward automation. Since then, transporting cargo has never been the same, but in a good way. Work has become less labor-intensive. Digital data processing has replaced paper works. In short, the entire shipping process has become faster, error-free, and much more efficient.

Nowadays, most modern shipping lines are equipped with various kinds of shipping solutions software offering best cost benefits and enhanced operational efficiency. Integrated shipping softwaresimplifies shipping processes and maximizes productivity by automating various tasks which otherwise requires a great deal of time and manual labor to perform.

Shipping company software provides scalable, enterprise-wide solutions to help carriers minimize operational expenses and maximize profits. It enables shipping lines to control shipping activities across multiple services and between ports through any internet connected device. Utilizing the power of the internet, operators can manage cargo flow from a central office, and monitor agents, equipments, and vessels from a single point which is more efficient than having several control offices in different locations.

Marine software solutions are “not one-size-fits-all” and each type is usually designed to perform certain functions only in the shipping process. Vessel operators must identify needs and find the right type of software to be integrated into their existing systems infrastructure.

Time and cost are significant factors in every shipping transaction. Carriers must always consider the most efficient and profitable transactions to remain competitive. Absent a reliable system to forecast transaction costs and risks, several problems could arise, such as delayed shipments, financial losses from unforeseen expenses, and unhappy customers.

Voyage Estimation Software or Voyage Calculation software allows vessel operators to assess the profitability of each transaction before calling a port and during a port call. All relevant expenses are considered and provide a complete picture of the costs per port call. Voyage Estimation Software can be used run multiple calculations simultaneously so carriers can compare routes and go for options with the best commercial value. Operators can estimate port costs, canal fees, charter costs, bunker costs, and load/discharge costs automatically to forecast expenses accurately.

Container Tracking Software is another type of maritime software solution which makes it easy for operators to identify current location of containers and cargo. It tracks the times and locations when each cargo is entering/leaving the port and when it is loaded/discharged.

As shipping companies continue to experience string competition, maritime software companies are constantly looking for improvements and efficiency gains. New versions of maritime solutions software provide upgrade options so that shipping companies can keep pace with the fast changing technology. This allows them to work from well-supported platforms all the time and, where necessary, to customize applications without doing any expensive overhauls or reprogramming. Lastly, the key to making the most out of their investment is for carriers to identify the right marine software company which provides quality products and reliable service.